Aakil froze a few steps from Colin, his mouth open, yet he held his tongue.
There were a few sarcastic murmurs about Colin’s behavior, which only made Colin reiterate his point. “Shut up! Everyone. Shut your mouths and get under the tables.”
He grabbed the shovel kept by the fires and marched back out toward the clearing. Aakil remained by the tables.
Freya selected a table close to the edge where she could keep an eye on Colin. He walked a few steps further away than where they had stopped and lifted the shovel over his shoulder, ready to strike.
Aakil stopped at seeing his stance, throwing his hands in the air. “Wow, Colin. Take this down a notch.”
“Shhh.”
Aakil’s shoulder slumped as he casually looked around for only a moment before his body suddenly tensed. It was as though Freya could see the exact moment Aakil heard the buzzing noise and seemed to react similarly to Colin. “That’s not right.”
“What is it?”
Aakil took a few steps into the clearing. “I’m not sure, but it can’t be good. It’s not natural.”
Colin’s head snapped toward him. “It’s artificial.”
Aakil nodded soberly.
Artificial could only mean one thing.
The State.
Just then, Freya saw something dip low, just above the height of the tables. In a way it looked like a bird, but it wasn’t. It had wings, but nothing about it appeared animal-like. It hung suspended in the air momentarily before it bobbed up again.
Colin took two giant leaps forward, coming down hard with a shovel. He struck it several times, practically burying it in the soil before he threw the shovel on the ground and stepped away.
Aakil lunged forward, digging it out of the dirt. “Colin, get under the tables until the rest pass.”
Colin tucked under the cover of their shelter but didn’t climb under the tables. With the metallic item in Aakil’s hand, he stepped under the roof to shield himself from view.
Freya could hear the buzzing sound pass over. She felt it was probably safe to get up but could also see Colin was far too tense for anything but the group’s compliance.
After more time passed, Aakil said, “I think it’s gone.”
Colin nodded slowly, not looking up at him. He stepped forward and yelled to the people hunched under the tables. “I want everyone to return to their quarters and stay inside. No fires! Dry rations only. Keep your children and loved ones together.”
Zoey popped her head out from under the table. “For how long?”
“Until we figure this out.”
“What was that thing?” Zoey asked.
Aakil let out a heavy sigh. “It’s a drone. A pilotless flying device with broadcasting capabilities.”
Before Freya’s frozen limbs could move, Zoey got to her feet and asked, “What the hell does that mean?”
Colin hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “It means the State just found our location.”
Chapter 15
Gwen
As the buildings came into view, Gwen narrowed her eyes as her mind struggled to comprehend the sights before her. “God damned.”
“I can’t believe it either,” one of her team said.
Gwen glanced over at Laura, who held her full lips in a pout. “This is crazy. It’s almost like a town. Like what they had before the Great War.”
Gwen tilted her hat to block the sun from her eyes. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. It’s like looking at what our lives should be like. Yet I can’t help but shake my head and think they’re idiots for building like this.”
Laura hopped down from her horse and dug in her saddlebag. “Will they even know what these flags mean?”
“No clue. We should have asked Colin or Freya before we left.”
“Well,” Laura attached the white flag to her horse, “We’ll soon find out. I guess.”
Gwen pursed her lips. “From what Colin said, these morons think they’re on an alien planet. They won’t be expecting people to show up. They’ll be too stunned to attack.”
Laura rubbed the nose of the secondary horse tethered behind the one she rode. “We know they know how to handle a bow and arrow. Let’s hope they try talking to us first.”
Gwen nodded to the other riders. “Let’s dismount right before we get there. Maybe it will send a more peaceful message.”
They quietly nodded in agreement. If she couldn’t at least deliver the radio, it would set back their plans for expansion in a few generations’ time. She needed this trip to be successful. She needed to bring more men back with her.
They rode until they reached the town limits. As her group was spotted, a few of the townspeople shouting to each other and disappeared into various buildings. Gwen gave the signal and all of her companions dismounted their horses and walked alongside.
From a distance, she could see the large metal ship with an oversized log cabin beside it. Until she could find someone in charge to speak to, she figured they would head toward those structures.
There was an interesting mix of reactions to spotting her group. Some people yelled, some ran, others closed their shutters with a loud slam. But one reaction was consistent: nobody spoke to Gwen or her riders.
Part of her wondered if these people expected her to ride right through if no one spoke to her. Gwen decided to try another approach, a smile and a warm greeting.
It didn’t work.
Regardless of how warmly she beamed, the townspeople reacted the same. Gwen’s arrival proved what they didn’t want to believe.
Gwen and her colleagues continued on foot until they reached the large log building. An elderly gentleman stood on the balcony with two mature women flanked on either side.
“Hello, travelers. We welcome you here.” He spoke slowly, as though informing a child who couldn’t understand. His welcome was warmer than she had expected after walking through the town, yet his tone was as cold as it was condescending. Gwen remained silent, struggling to find the right words. “Do you understand us?” He asked in an even more demeaning tone than before.
Each word pricked her skin. “Yes.” Gwen removed her hat, even though she felt the gesture showed more respect than he deserved. There was something about him. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she already hated him. “I’m Gwen, and we’ve come to meet your people, and deliver a radio.”
He narrowed his brows. “A radio. What would that be for?”
Gwen flinched. “Oh. I thought you knew what that was. Colin and Aakil said they told everyone about it.”
Just as she said Colin’s name, the gentlemen’s face fell from a curious expression to a scowl. “Oh. I see. You’ve met the group who departed from here, and they’ve told you to pay us a visit.”
I have to turn this conversation around. Fast.
“We wanted to come and deliver the radio they fixed up. Aakil successfully rigged it with solar energy, and we wanted the option to keep in touch. There is another community we speak to. It helps.”
He kept his eyes locked on her for another moment before his sneer softened. “That’s wonderful. Thank you. How far away are your people? Will you spend the night here in our community?”
Some tension released from her shoulders. Some, but not all. An invitation to spend the night was better than drawing weapons, yet it was a far cry from warmth. Spending one night meant she wouldn’t have much time to meet the people, let alone convince them to leave their lives behind.
“We would be mighty grateful for your hospitality.” Gwen turned back to her riders, and they led their horses to the long banister and secured their reins.
“Is there anything you require to care for your animals?”
“If you could spare some pails of water, we’d appreciate it.”
He stepped down from the patio, while the other two silent women on either side of him remained in place.
“And what about food? Do your animals need something to eat?”
&nbs
p; “If you had some apples handy, I’m sure they would love a treat. But we have oats in our bags for them. I’m more concerned about people getting too close to them. Everyone needs to know they can’t walk behind them.”
He turned back to the women and nodded to them. They scurried off, most likely to spread the word about their horses, but she couldn’t be too sure. All she knew was that this wasn’t the start of a blossoming friendship.
***
She stood at the base of the large metal structure looking upward, completely awestruck. “This thing is massive”
“Would you like a tour?” he asked.
She hesitated briefly before responding. “Sure.”
Although her curiosity was piqued, there was something about entering this strange structure alone with this guy that gave her the creeps.
She had requested that two of her team stay with the horses to make sure they were properly cared for—or more importantly, that children stayed at a safe distance. Laura had gone ahead of them to check out their sleeping quarters before nightfall. This left Gwen alone with this unpleasant man, playing the politician.
“I’m surprised you still go inside.”
“Of course, we do.” His eyes brightened. “We would have disassembled this ship for parts years ago had we not had use for it.”
“I just wondered if it had bad memories attached to it, you know? I mean, from what I heard, the people sent on this thing didn’t have a choice. They weren’t even told they were leaving for good.”
He smiled at her, if the expression could be considered a smile. It was more a grimace he forced into something more pleasant. She wasn’t fooled.
“We try to act in the best interest of our people instead of acting emotionally. This ship has an excellent medical bay. It has also provided a fantastic storage area for dried goods, and even additional sleeping chambers. It may have a marred past, but its usefulness outweighs any reason to demolish it.”
“Understood.” She nodded.
He gestured to the stairs in front. “We constructed these stairs as there was nothing more than a metal ladder that dropped to the ground when the original colonists landed. It helps the old people like me get in and out of the ship.”
She knew he was trying to joke with her, but it did more to unsettle her than amuse her. She didn’t trust him. It was too late to fall for any of his charms.
He grasped the handrail and climbed the multitude of steps into the vessel. She followed behind and was immediately overwhelmed by how something so large could feel so small. He showed her the medical bay first, followed by the gestation chambers now used to store and organize different dried herbs, meats, and fruits. The tour then continued into the mechanical area.
She shook her head. “Now, I must admit, when I heard your people all believed the State had sent you to a colony planet, I thought you were a bunch of gullible sissies. Now that I see this ship, it amazes me you figured out what those dome pricks were up to at all.”
There was a flash in his eyes, making her instantly regret the statement.
Faris paused and turned to her. “You seemed rather impressed with our medical bay. How is it you treat your sick and injured out where you’re from?”
She shrugged. “Well, we don’t have anything like that. We care for the sick in their homes.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Your medics travel to everyone’s homes? How on earth do they lug their equipment and treatments with them?”
She shook her head. “They don’t. Everyone has supplies at their house—tinctures, bandages, splints, and whisky. We have everything we need. We have some people who are better with delivering babies than sprains or infections, but we just help each other out as we need to.”
He folded his hands behind his back as they strolled to the large building at a casual pace. “Do your people have assigned duties?”
Gwen shook her head. “I hear that’s what you guys did under the dome, and the surviving village near the dome does something like that too. Our people have never assigned jobs to anyone. When there’s work to be done, we all pitch in.” She shrugged. “That’s the way it’s always been with us. And you know what they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Actually, I haven’t heard that phrase before.”
Pink flushed her cheeks from his condescending tone. She would have given into humiliation, but she remembered that she was talking to a man who until recently believed the State sent him to a different planet.
“How do you keep people accountable to contribute to your village if there are no work assignments?”
Gwen fought the urge to roll her eyes. “I think we have a very different culture back home than you do here. When there’s stuff that needs doing, we all pitch in. When we finish work, we all relax and enjoy each other’s company. Some people have preferences and natural talents toward certain tasks—like Freya. Since she arrived, it’s like she’s locked herself in the greenhouses. I’ve told her she doesn’t have to work so hard, but she just loves it. No one told her she had to, but now that she has, the people who were working in the greenhouse have moved on.”
“Oh.” His eyes flickered with satisfaction. “How interesting.”
He opened the door to the oversized log building, gesturing for her to enter. As soon as she stepped inside, she saw the group huddled around a small table pressed against the window.
“You’re back,” one of the female Advisors said. “We’ve got Colin waiting on the radio to speak to you.”
Faris grimaced. “Of course.”
“Not to you, to Gwen. He said it’s urgent.”
Gwen closed the distance between them, taking unnaturally large strides. “Colin, what’s happening?”
“Gwen,” Colin’s voice sounded through the radio. “I need to know about your trip over there—specifically, yesterday. Did you hear something kind of like a large swarm of bees? Or see something flying that didn’t look like birds.”
Her brows knitted together. “Bees and birds? Colin, buy the sound of your voice, I thought this was an emergency.”
“Yes,” Faris remarked. “He has a rather nasty habit of doing that.”
Gwen froze. She had known there was something nasty about this Faris character, but to hear him speak to Colin this way was incomprehensible.
But Faris believed they’re on a colony planet, and Colin has more than proven himself. How can Faris still take that tone?
“Gwen,” Colin’s voice cautioned through the radio. “I see you’ve met Advisor Faris. But—”
“President.”
Gwen turned to look at him, surprised. “What?”
Colin’s voice reverberated through the radio with a similar sentiment.
“Yes,” President Faris said with a rather smug expression. “We held an election after Colin and his friends left.”
He spoke with so much disdain, Gwen didn’t know how Colin had refrained from punching the old man’s lights out.
“I’m sure you did. But Gwen, I need to know if you heard or saw anything strange on your trip there. It might not be safe there anymore.”
Her mind spun. “I don’t think so. What’s this about?”
“The State sent something over here. I heard a strange electric buzzing sound. Everyone else missed it. One of them got close to me and I smacked it out of the air with a shovel. Aakil disassembled it and confirmed that it was a drone that contained both video and broadcasting capability.”
Gwen opened her mouth, then closed it again, struggling to speak. “Why would they send them to us? If they knew about us, wouldn’t they have killed us off years ago?”
“If they could,” President Faris cut in. “Maybe they’ve always known about your community and wanted to see how it’s grown. Colin said himself that no one heard it but him. How do you know this isn’t some routine check that your people have missed dozens of times before?”
She shook her head. “No. Not possible. There were
other surviving groups in the beginning, and they got bombed after the Great War. They wouldn’t have just left us there if they had known about us.”
The President pursed his lips. “Maybe they depleted their reserves and don’t have the means to destroy you.”
“Oh, piss off, Faris!” Gwen heard Aakil yell into the radio.
“Gwen,” Colin ignored both Aakil and the President, “did you hear or see anything? We need to know the probability of those drones spotting you, and our outposts.”
Delivered: A Young Adult Dystopian Romance (The State Series Book 7) Page 10